After escaping from the home of her crazy soon to be ex-husband...Hope finds herself alone on the streets; surviving on nothing but her wits and the clothes on her back until one day, help comes from an unexpected source...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
May 13, 1989
**Prince POV**
Throughout lunch, I think I finally figured out how to get Hope to open up to me...at least a little bit, and I just couldn't resist the impulse to gently tease her.
I'd already managed to figure out that she was from Texas, even if she doesn't know that yet...and that she apparently has quite the sweet tooth. That may just work to my advantage...
"You know Hope...I know I promised you dessert. What I didn't promise is that we'd be having it here..." I toss out in a soft, playful tone.
A nervous expression suddenly crosses her face as she breaks eye contact and starts eyeing the door. Shit!
Before I can think things through any further, as her gaze continues to drift between my eyes at the door, I hear a tentative, almost inaudible, "If not here, then where...?" Tread carefully, Prince. You don't' want to spook her.
"The only place in town I know where you can get just about any dessert your little heart desires..." I begin enticingly.
Her eyes start to light up in anticipation, so I can tell I'm on the right track. "...where the cook will make you anything, and everything you could ever want..." I continue beseechingly, building up both her anticipation and my own nerve to just spit it out already.
"It's all waiting for us back at my place." I say in a rush, hoping with everything in me that this gamble pays off as I'm not ready to say goodbye to her just yet. There's just something about you that tells me you need help...please let me help you...
Her expression turns blank, then white with fear, and it becomes apparent that I've played my hand a little too soon...especially when her eyes dart to back to the door before coming back to mine just briefly. "I don't think so...I think I'd better go," she says quickly...followed by a quiet, "Thanks for lunch," as she tucks what little remains of her sandwich into her pocket before shuffling out of the booth in preparation to leave as she head out of the restaurant.
"Hope, wait!" I call urgently, dashing over to join her as she rushes out the front door. "At least let me walk you out."
She slows her pace just enough to allow me to open the door for her as we walk out the door. Once outside we quickly say our goodbyes before I head across the parking lot toward my car.
Once I get to my car I take a quick glance back in her direction, hoping she might change her mind, but when her feet stay firmly rooted to the sidewalk, hand raised in farewell; I offer her one last wistful smile with a nod of acknowledgement before waving goodbye, climbing into my car and driving away in silence. What happens now?
__
Ever since I left Hope in front of the fast food joint, I've been sitting in the studio trying to put the finishing touches on the upcoming Batman album, but find my thoughts keep drifting back to my encounter with Hope.
